Bible - 1 Samuel 1:1-18.

 key verse 1:10.

 Title - Pray with all your heart.

Praise the Lord everyone. You are all welcome in this day. As we all know, once again Covid 19 is increasing, and Lock Down is happening again in the country. Take care of yourself and your family at such times. Call upon God in your prayers and try to know His will. We can all make our lives better through prayer. Through prayer, we can see the fulfilment of those works of God which seem impossible to us. But you also need to understand the importance of prayer. And so today we are going to talk about prayer. With today's message, we will understand what is the only right way to pray. The verses we read today are 1 Samuel chapter 1 verses 1 through 18.

Bible reading :-

        Based on today's words, we have seen that there is a family here. In which there is a person whose name is Elkanah. He has 2 wives. 1 Hannah, 2 Peninnah. Peninnah had children. 

But Hannah doesn't have children. Even though Elkanah loved Hannah, Jehovah kept her womb close. Due to which Hannah was very sad because in old times it was not considered good if a woman did not have children. And that's why Peninnah used to tease Hannah. Elkanah used to go from his city to Shiloh every year. He used to go to worship the Lord and offer peace offerings. He also took his entire family with him. When Hannah went to the house of God, Peninnah teased her. And because of this Hannah would become sad and she would remain hungry and did not eat.

Once Elkanah went to Shiloh with her whole family to give thanks to God. And after eating and drinking, Hannah went to the house of God. And the verse tells that she was disturbed and wept bitterly (v-1-10).

             We saw in the verses that there is a woman here. who had everything. A nice house, she is rich, and her husband loves her too. But all this is not enough for her. Something is incomplete in her life. Because she is barren and has no children.

What do you think? Can you understand Hannah's sadness? Or her uncompleted self? she doesn't have any children. And on the other hand, Peninnah troubles her. she has no other way. Which she can accept. she and her family come to Shiloh every year. Give thanks to God. They offer peace sacrifices. eats, drinks. Celebrates happy But she is sad. With herself and with her future. Though her husband gives her assurance, but his assurance is not able to ease her pain. She is being harassed more because of Peninnah. No one is going to understand her pain. But thank God because she knows that in such difficult times, only God can help her.

       Has it happened to you that you have gone to a party? And everyone in the party is happy. Dancing, singing, eating well. But you are feeling sad and incomplete. People come to you, and some give reassurance on seeing you. But some people are like that. Those who make fun of you and tell. In such a situation, your suffering is not less, but it increases. This is such a time. When you are alone even when you are with everyone. Hannah was feeling the same way. By the way, Hannah and her family come to Shiloh every year. 

And maybe they pray to God every year, but this time something different is going to happen with Hannah. This time she is going to get away from all her worries, troubles.

      And one day she arose and entered the house of God. And starts praying to God. Let's see how she is praying. (V10) She started praying and crying bitterly. (v13) Hannah was praying in her heart. But her words could not be heard.

         Hannah joined God while praying. She had forgotten that someone was also around her. Or someone is looking at her or what will anyone think. Forgetting everything, her focus was only on God. Eli was looking at her, but he didn't know what kind of prayer Hannah was praying in the house of God today. He didn't realize that Hannah had connected with God. He could not see the pain in her heart. And anticipated that she was drunk. There was no one in this world to understand Hannah. Perhaps that's why Hannah was so upset that she had thought that she would not leave God today.

 All she wanted was a child, and she had also promised God that she would give her son what God would give her. She will give that son to serve God. She wanted to  come out of the misery that she was barren. And God heard her prayer.

      

         Then Eli said to her, "Go in peace, may the God of Israel give you what you asked for". And then Hannah went away and ate and drank and she was never sad again (v 17-18).

       

       Hannah's prayer was heard by God. And she had also believed Eli's words. She had found the peace that God had given her. There was no doubt of any kind in her mind. (v 18) It is said that she ate and drank and never got depressed. And her happiness was not short-lived. God opened her womb and she gave birth to a son. That son was not ordinary. God chooses that son to carry out his work and guide Israel. This is the blessing that Hannah received from God. Because her faith was only in God. She didn't go anywhere else.

 She didn't trust anyone else. Her crying and pleading was in front of God. And for this reason she could see the power of God which she might not have imagined. God took care of Hannah and had 3 sons and 2 more daughters (1 Samuel 2: 21).

         Such is the work of God. When he takes care of someone, he also gives a lot of blessings. Trust today's words that all of you will find freedom from every disappointment in your life or from every task that seems possible. All you need is to pray with all your heart and try to connect with God. May God bless you abundantly.

                 Amen.